Echo Park stabbing victims may have been targeted because of rainbow flag

The two men who were stabbed on an Echo Park street last month may have been targeted because a rainbow flag – a symbol of gay pride – was placed on their bicycles. The suspects yelled anti-gay slurs at the two victims – who are not gay – before they were stabbed on Echo Park Avenue on May 24 in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime. Details of the rainbow flag on the victims’ bikes were included in an announcement of a town hall meeting – Echo Park United Against Hate Crimes – that will be held on June 26. “The perpetrators yelled anti-gay slurs at them because they had a rainbow flag on their bicycles,” according to the town hall announcement.

A police detective assisting with the investigation said the two victims said they believed the rainbow flag on their bikes prompted the suspects to yell at them. But the incident remains under investigation and the suspects remain at large.

The town hall is being organized by El Centro Del Pueblo, an Echo Park social service agency, in partnership with the office of Councilman Eric Garcetti and other organizations. “We are calling on the Echo Park Community to declare that a hate crime against any one member of our community is a hate crime against the entire community,” said El Centro Executive Director Sandra Figueroa in an email. “Join me for a community response at a Town Hall Meeting El Centro is hosting that calls for acceptance, tolerance and education.”

Anyone wishing to attend the town hall, which will be held from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at El Centro Del Pueblo, should RSVP to [email protected].

Persons with information about the incident are asked to call the Northeast Division detectives at (323) 344-5751.

We’re not sure if it was a hate-crime or not- any piece of shit can yell anti-gay slurs at any moment- the people who did this were probably looking for trouble anyways. But it is a serious crime, and i welcome the opportunity to talk and meet with other community members in Echo Park who are concerned about crimes that take place in our neighborhood. There have been a number of shootings in my area over the past month and i believe that the more serious crimes come as a result of letting smaller ones fester- drinking in public, graffiti, blight, allowing gangs to “control” certain areas. Look at the businesses on Sunset and Echo Park— many of these have no windows facing the streets or are boarded up at night, the streets are poorly lit and the trees cover up what little light there is. i hope that our conversation next Tuesday can lead to proactive solutions.

the two men that were stabbed were not gay. they are straight ,open minded people who also believe in equal rights, unlike yourself “MS”. even if they were gay , how does this justify getting stabbed ? are you such an ignorant person that this actually came out of your mouth? or was this an attempt at being funny? because it wasn’t. most homophobic people who act out so violently towards gays do so because they see someone else who is clearly happy with who they are and are living an open life. something for one reason or another the bully or attacker is unable to do themselves. not exactly a reason to be attacked.

After reading some these comments I wonder if there is any hope for any of us …I understand their anger and fear that causes them to write such vengeful things ,but we need some intellectual submissions as well

the police must start cracking down – they just allow these hoodlums to drink in public till all ours of the morning and disrupt a peaceful neighborhood and people who have to wake up in the morning and are civilized. They travel in packs like a bunch of spineless tools and they think they have run of the neighborhood.

The community needs to take action and start calling the police when they see this behaviour, even if anonymously. From what I understand, a lot of these hoodlums don’t even live in the area and just drive to EP to tailgate and drink because they know they can get away with it. We need to start showing that our tax dollars mean something. Call the police!

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